Here are some final things to know as we prepare to start next weekend.

Schedules

All the schedules have been posted on the website, except for Minor Softball, which is being finalized. They will also be on the display boards at the concession stand.

Email Addresses

Please be sure your email is not blocking [email protected] and [email protected],com. These addresses are used by our registration vendor to send emails from the league and from your team, if your team uses their "microsite" within the system.

Festivities

The parade is back! We will meet at Grace Harbor Church on Gorham and parade through the neighborhood on Grace and Cherokee to the fields. Meet at the church starting at 8:30 AM, the parade will start at 9:00 AM, the opening ceremony at the fields will start at 9:30 AM, and the first games will be at 10:30 AM. We prefer as many as possible to walk, but if you bring a vehicle for your team, you will be able to drop the players off at Cherokee and Alamo (by Visser field) and then drive around to the lot. There must be an adult in any truck bed or trailer with the players and they may not ride past the drop off point to the fields.

Parking Lot

The parking lot at the fields will be very crowded. We will try to have it marked, but pull into the grass on the west side of the lot and fit two rows of vehicles in the middle. Leave an aisle at the south end to be able to drive around and head back toward the entrance. Be courteous and drive slowly.

It's getting closer! Final preparations are underway

Opening Day

Our first games will be in two weeks. The schedule will be posted on the website soon. The update next week will have all the details you need.

Team Photos

Photos will be taken at Westwood on May 8 and 9. The schedule will be communicated to the Team Parents and they will have order forms soon. They will also be given your scheduled time and the schedule will be on the website soon.

Medical Release Form

Please be sure you have completed a Little League Medical Release Form and given it to your coach.  They hold these throughout the season in case there is an injury to your player during a practice or game at a time when you are not there.

Team Parents

Your team should have a team parent to help the coach with some of the "administrative" duties like team photos, team snacks, and organizing concessions duty. If your team does not have one, consider signing up. You can volunteer through your account in the registration system.

Cancellations

We do wait as long as possible to cancel practices and games so we can get as much time on the fields as possible. We try to get any notices out by 4:30 at the latest during the week and 8:30 AM on Saturday. We currently send an email to registered users and post an announcement banner on the website.  Always assume the events are ON until you receive a cancellation notice; please do not send a message to ask.

The energy is building and it's almost time to get out on the fields!

Practice Schedule

Be sure you know when your team is practicing! The schedule is on the website on the 2023 Schedules page under the Play Here tab.

Equipment

Be sure you have everything you need for practices. Coaches will have helmets, bats, and balls but you need your own glove.

Concessions

Each team will be assigned at least one day (a few teams will have two days) to work in the concession stand. It will be on a day you have a game at Westwood. You may gather food items that are ordered, operate the grill, take money, or do other things to operate concessions and will be under the guidance of an experienced lead. This is the league's largest fundraiser and we cannot operate it without you. If you split shifts among your team, it will be about 2 hours of work.

All Stars

Keep in mind that the All Star tournaments will be held after the regular season ends, from late June into July. More details will be sent in May and you can check out our All Stars page for what we know now.

Fall Ball

Remember Fall Ball will start shortly after the All Star season ends. See the Fall Ball Expanding news item for the details we have.

It's almost time to start practices so here is some good information to help you prepare.

Practice Schedule

The practice schedule will be posted this week on the 2023 Schedules page.

Cleanup Day

Remember that Cleanup Day is April 15 starting at 1 PM. Come and work on a field where you will be playing so that it will look and play its best for you. You can also help cleanup and prepare the rest of the grounds for the season. Many hands make light work.

Equipment Needed

Your child should have their own glove/mitt. For Minors and older, we recommend baseball/softball pants; baseball is usually white or gray, softball is usually black. Minors may wear other athletic pants that let them move freely during the game. Tee Ball players may wear any type of pants.

Molded cleats are suggested for Little Majors and older; metal cleats may only be worn in the Intermediate, Junior and Senior divisions.

You may have your own helmet and bat but the league will provide those for your team's use if you need them.

Coach Contact

Coaches have received their rosters so you should hear from them very soon. If not, you can contact us and we'll follow up.

Team Sites

As teams are built, we will be posting the rosters through the league website. You will receive an email with a link to your player's profile (which you can complete if you wish). When you login, you should see a link to the team site. Coaches and team parents will be able to post news items and pictures to share with the team. Stay tuned for more details on these team sites.

Opening Day

Hopefully you know by now that Opening Day is Saturday, April 22. The schedule for that day will be posted soon.

Here is this week's update as we count down to Opening Day.

Teams

We are working on building the teams in SportsConnect. Once they are built, you will receive a message with information about your team. That should be completed in the next couple of weeks.

Interleague Play

Due to the number of teams we have in some divisions, we will be coordinating with other local leagues to play games against them. Those games may be at Westwood or at the other league. You can see the other league locations on the District 2 website. The specific leagues we'll play will differ by division and won't be known until a district scheduling meeting is held a little later. Divisions that will be playing an interleague schedule this year for Baseball are Intermediate and Junior; for Softball it is Minor, Little Major, Major, and Junior.

Schedules

Our goal is to have the schedules for practices, opening day, and regular season games done before the Meet-and-Greet. Some of the division schedules may not be done because they involve interleague play and we need to wait for the schedule coordinator to finish and publish them.

Practice Start Date

We plan to open the fields for practices on April 4 and they will run through April 20. The full schedule will be communicated to the coaches and posted on our website soon.

Weather Policy

As we get closer to the start of practices, know that we will not practice unless the temperature is at least 40 including wind chill. This is a District policy that we follow. There will also be no practices if there are any weather warnings.

Cleanup Day

Please plan to come to the fields on April 15 to help get the fields cleaned up and ready to play. There will be trash pickup, weeding, raking, and sweeping to be done. More details will be sent later but put the date on your calendar and come for as long as you are able.

Cancellation Notices

We are able to send text notices out through the registration system for any cancellations due to weather or other events. However, that relies on you putting your mobile number into your profile in the system. Please login to your account and ensure your number is there. We will also put a notice on our website and try to post to Facebook as well. To subscribe to the notices, send '2023Programstshq21404' to 334-310-2497.

Here is some important information as we kick off our weekly updates leading up to the season.

Meet-and-Greet

What is it? Our annual gathering where you can see your neighbors, get information from the league for this season, and meet your coaches and teammates. We start at 6:00PM on Monday, April 3 at our fields NOTE:.For 2023, the Meet and Greet will be at The River Church, 517 Walbridge Street at Ransom Street, in downtown Kalamazoo. You can also make outstanding payments plus complete and/or turn in your volunteer forms. See you there!

Swap Table

Bring your old mitts, bats, cleats, pants, or other playing equipment for our swap table at the Meet-and-Greet. You can get things out of your garage, put your old equipment to good use with another league member, and maybe even find something you need. This has been a big success in the past and we expect it to be popular again.

Coaches Meeting

Coaches, don't forget this mandatory meeting starts at 7:00 following the Meet-and-Greet. We'll have lots of information for you, including your rule book, and an update from D2 on what they want coaches to focus on this season, plus your required first aid training.

Umpires

We need umpires for the Little Major (9-10) division and up to be able to play. We provide training and equipment so you can do it even if this is your first time. High school students can be part of our umpire training program and be paid to call games. Contact our Umpire Coordinator Jeremy McNally at [email protected] for details.

Fun Night With the Growlers

Our fun night with the Growlers is planned for Saturday, June 3, where you can see a game with your Westwood friends and be part of the fun. This is open to all your family and friends, even if they don't play at Westwood. The flyer will be sent via email with the details. The league will receive money from the Growlers for each ticket sold.